This just in from the Syrian embassy in DC. I’ll leave it to others to dismantle its, umm, contradictions.
We extend our sympathy and deep condolences to the media institutions and the families of the journalists, who passed away on the Syrian territories. However, we reject all statements that hold Syria accountable for the death of journalists who infiltrated into Syria at their own responsibility without notifying the Syrian authorities of their entry and whereabouts.
The Foreign and Expatriates Ministry, stresses on the compliance of the Foreign Media with the laws that regulate journalism in Syria. Furthermore, the Ministry reiterates on avoiding violations of the Syrian laws, including the illegal infiltration into Syrian territories, in order to access turbulent and unsafe spots.
The compliance with these laws would facilitate the Media visits, and grant the journalists the advice and recommendations of the Ministry of Information before heading to any place.
We would like to point out that the Ministry of Information is making significant efforts in this context and has granted entry visas for about 200 media delegations throughout the past two months, and this is officially documented.
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